Crown Zellerbach Paper Mill

Crown Zellerbach Paper Mill

St. Francisville, LA

Jobsite

Built in 1957 by Crown Zellerbach, the paper mill, which is located in St. Francisville, has undergone several changes of ownership as well as changes in the type of paper products produced at the site. Currently, the mill is owned and operated by Hood Container Corporation.

Address or general location

2105 Highway 964

St Francisville LA 70775

Detail

In 1957, Crown Zellerbach formed the St. Francisville Paper Company with Time, Inc., in order to construct the paper mill in St. Francisville, LA. In 1963, Crown Zellerbach began building an additional kraft pulp and paper mill adjacent to the site. In 2001, Tembec Inc. of Canada purchased the site and operated the mill until 2007 when the mill shut down. In 2009, Pan American reopened the site under the name Renew Paper but, shortly thereafter, the mill was closed again. In 2010, it was purchased and reopened by KPAQ Industries. In 2015, the mill was acquired by Hood Container Corporation and is currently being operated under the name Hood Container of Louisiana.

The paper mill began as a 4-machine mill producing coated, paper products and, later, became and continues to operate as a 2-machine mill producing virgin, unbleached pulp and paper products. Currently, the mill produces flat liner board used for the construction of cardboard and manufactures machine-glazed papers for the food industry, such as carry-out bags and waxed papers used by restaurants.

From the time the mill was originally built until the present, the number or workers at the mill has varied. In 1982, the paper mill employed almost 850 workers, 750 of whom staged a widely publicized strike over unresolved union contract issues, resulting in the temporary closure of the mill. Later, when Tembec closed the mill in 2007, there were 540 workers affected. When KPAQ Industries sold the mill to Hood Container Corporation in 2015, there were 250 workers at the site.